Oranges and the Holiday Table

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

16 Oct 2009 06:56 AM

Oranges have long been a symbol of the holidays. Back before candy and other treats were so readily available, a single orange stuffed into the stocking on Christmas morning was a decadent delight in the middle of winter. Beside the tradition, oranges are so aromatic and colorful, that they deserve a place on your holiday table.

As I ease into the Food Blog, I thought I would offer a very simple idea that you can try.

Orange Cups

A festive and easy way to offer sweet fruit cups. They look so pretty on the table, and kids get a big kick out of the surprise inside.

Ingredients:

Oranges

Assorted fruit such as grapes, pineapple and melon (more work) OR canned or jarred fruit cup (less work).

Directions:

Cut one end of each orange to make a lid. You can get a bit fancy by zig-zagging the cuts so they make a nice pattern. Scoop out the orange from the peel.

If you are using fresh fruit: Chop the orange and the rest of the fruit into bite size pieces. Using a large bowl and then mix all of the fruit together.

If you are using a pre-made fruit cup: Drain the fruit cup from its syrup. Chop the orange into bite sized pieces. In a large bowl, mix the orange together with the drained fruit cup.

Spoon your fruit salad into the hollowed out orange cups and place one cup at each place setting. For Halloween, you can even carve out jack-o-lanterns from the oranges and then replace the lids.

What other simple ways can you incorporate oranges into your holiday table? Well, you can add them to a pretty glass bowl or pitcher as a centerpiece, you can stud them with cloves and arrange three or so in a small bowl, and you can cut slices and float them in ice water or punch.

While we started out easy here, I am not done with oranges just yet. I am working on an Warm Apple-Orange Punch this weekend and hope to post the recipe soon.

You can read more blog posts by Mary Ann Romans here!

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Thanksgiving Decorations for Less

The Health Benefits of Pumpkin

Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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